Nizari

The Nizaris are the largest branch of the Ismaili Shia Muslims, the second-largest branch of Shia Islam. The branch was founded by the followers of Nizar, the son of the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir Billah, who briefly succeeded to power in 1094 before being ousted by his brother al-Mustali. Nizar's son escaped to Alamut in Persia and took refuge with believers there, thereby continuing the Nizari imamate. The followers of the Nizari imams formed the fidai, a brave and self-sacrificing military force which became known as the Hashshashin due to their consumption of hash through hookahs. The Nizaris became known as some of the most feared assassins in the world, assassinating politicians and generals; they were rivals with both the Saracens and the Crusaders, but they made a truce with Saladin and allied with the Ayyubids during the Third Crusade of the 1190s. Today, Nizari teachings emphasize ijtihad (human reasoning), pluralism (accepting racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious differences), and social justice.